Ghosts
by RenaRoo
Summary: In another world, the Mother of Invention took another life.


ephemeraltea prompted: a universe where Carolina died when the Mother of Invention crashed. York… well. There's dealing with grief, and then there's what he does.

Again. NOTHING about this prompt is okay!

Red vs Blue and related properties © Rooster Teeth  
story © RenaRoo

 **Ghosts**

Everything was still blurry and inconsequential after the falling of the Mother of Invention. He hadn't even fully come back awake when the alarms begun to blare, the gravity began to grow heavy and solid once more, and the atmosphere was breached with a disturbing whine and crack of metal and glass all around him.

York woke, Delta listing off escape routes and probabilities and the like, but it all fell mutely on the former Freelancer.

He had to find her. To just stop her. To _make her understand._

It wasn't like he didn't understand why she was doing all of it, it wasn't like on a level he could understand doing it, too. It was simply that it wasn't going to work anymore. She wasn't going to work anymore, and it was possibly going to kill her.

Or. Something _else_ would get to her first. Whatever it was that got to Wyoming-

He raced, stumbling with increased gravity, breaking visors with reckless abandon as he tried to muscle his way to the Command Center where Tex was, where no doubt Carolina was as well - when his world became uprooted again.

There were a few missions where Freelancer had left York spiraling in a free fall, not the least of which had been the procuring of the Sarcophagus to begin this whole mess, but he had never truly realized what it was like to fear death with a fall like that until the shuttering impact of the Mother of Invention landing.

It all almost went black again.

"York?" Delta questioned in his ear.

"Keep going," York told himself, ignoring his friend, and did just that.

* * *

Wherever it was that they had crashed at, it was covered in snow and wailing with a biting wind. York noticed it before he even finished making it to the deck and saw the broken view screen, the catching fire computers and machines.

Tex was picking herself up from the crash, her arm sparking.

York slid to a halt and stared at her. He whipped around, saw no one else, then turned back to Texas.

"Where is she!?" he demanded. "Where's Carolina!?"

"She was here," was all Tex got out before looking back. "York, we've got company coming. Let's-"

"Yeah, great, you take care of it," York snapped back, leaping down to the broken front of the vessel. He could hear the crunch of glass, but he didn't look through it, he could see the scatter of debris from within the hull.

It had shot out and buried into the snow. That meant that Carolina was likely to have followed he same projection.

"York," Delta spoke up as York carefully traced the weightier material through the snow. "There are at least five hostiles following from the hallway we used. Agent Texas-"

"Doesn't need us to help with _five_ guys, Dee," York reminded him. "Carolina needs-"

He stopped, seeing the pink slosh of snow among one of the unnatural piles of snow.

"No," York gasped before diving forward.

"They are not regular hostiles, York. They are all presenting as _one_ formation."

"Not now!" York snapped, dropping to his knees and beginning to rapidly dig into the snowbank. "C'mon, Carolina. C'mon-"

"MAINE!" Tex roared behind him. "STAY AWAY FROM THAT!"

There was crashing and gunfire, but York continued to dig. He looked on in horror as the snow uncovered bit by bit the form beneath the snow. His hands brushed against skin and a chill broke through his body that the snow and wind couldn't produce if it tried.

York's heart sank. "No."

There was a crash loud enough to temporarily pull York's attention away. He looked behind just as Maine tossed a large unit toward the snow, Texas ducking through the exit, holding something small and metallic in her hands. York turned and shielded Carolina with himself as Maine's projectiles continued to fire through.

Texas skidded to a halt beside them, looked back at Maine, then to York. She clutched the metal gadget tighter. "We have to go!"

"Not without her!" York roared back.

She didn't say anything to that - Maine landed in the snow with a crunch, only it was apparent to York he was _far_ from the person that York had once known. York looked to Tex in desperation.

The black clad agent stared back, gripped her fists tighter, and then pointed at York. "You owe me a favor," she told him before taking off. The _thing_ in Maine's armor followed suit.

York finished pulling Carolina from the snow, looked over her, body shaking.

"She's dead, York," Delta reported.

He pulled her into his arms and stood. When he looked back to the Mother of Invention, his eyes met with the Director's. He felt a slow burning sensation grow from his stomach, but he didn't have time to do anything about it.

In the opposite direction of Tex and Maine, York left with Carolina and Delta.

* * *

It was two miles before Delta's incessant pleas were observed and York brought them all into cover from he storm. It took even more annoyance from the AI before he gathered some burnable materials and set them up for a fire.

But an hour later the fire was not set.

Instead, York just sat against the rocks of the covering, thumb on the igniter of his lighter, but doing nothing.

He was just staring at her.

York couldn't feel anything anymore.

"I am sorry, York," Delta finally said, softer than his usual droning voice. "Carolina's fate was not at all a high probability."

He sucked in a breath, put a hand against his head. There were no thoughts coherent enough for words.

"Whatever it was that Agent Texas had was of high concern for the Meta," Delta continued. "I do not believe we will be his primary concern for some time-"

"Meta?" York questioned weakly. "You mean Maine?"

Delta gave a small pause before replying, "I do not believe that, other than physical presentation, that was Agent Maine, York."

"I don't either," York replied. "He didn't even react to..."

His eyes couldn't leave her. York had seen more than enough death in his time, but Carolina... Carolina was sleeping.

"We can't bring her back," Delta whispered. "I'm sorry. It's just true."

"That might be true, but it's not something I want to hear right now, Dee," York hissed. "I just... I can't believe that she's... she's gone."

"Eta and Iota unfortunately verify that-"

York looked to Delta's projection. "Eta and Iota- Her AI are still there?"

"For now," Delta replied.

York looked at Carolina's form. "What did this _Meta_ want, Dee?"

"To collect the other AI. To become... stable. More than a fragment."

"Is that even possible?" York asked.

"We were all once a single, full AI," Delta reminded York. "But to break us into fragments, to individualize us, we have developed separate personalities and motivations. Uniting us, even with every single functional AI, to form a complete whole again is highly unlikely. Even if it's a desirable motivation."

"This all comes back to the Director again," York hisses. "She died for this and he's..."

"Not a good man."

"No, no he's not." York stood, beginning to gather up the fire material again.

"I do not recommend leaving before the storm lifts, York."

"We're not," York said, beginning to put the material around Carolina. "Ask Eta and Iota how they want to be transported."

"What are we doing, York? I do not believe we're acting rationally-"

"We're going on a new path," he said darkly. "We're going to give Carolina the send off she deserves. Then we're finding Tex - she has something everyone wants and she didn't tell us the truth-"

"Chances of defeating Agent Texas in combat are-"

"Then. We're going after the Director."

Delta remained quiet for a moment before muttering, "I do not foresee and favorable circumstances for our survival. _Especially_ if you plan on transferring Eta and Iota with us. We will become far larger targets with more AI and equipment."

"Well," York said darkly, "I guess that's just one way I don't mind going out, Dee."


End file.
